Gerolt Valckenier

General Gerolt Valckenier (died 21 June 1805) was a general of the Batavian Republic. Valckenier fought in the Napoleonic Wars in the Franco-Batavian War, and died while fighting Marshal Guillaume Marie Anne Brune in the costly Battle of Rotterdam.

Biography
Valckenier was an experienced general of the Dutch Army, fighting in the French Revolutionary Wars against the French and later for the French. As a commander of the Batavian Republic's armed forces, he was made a General. In 1805, he was made the commander of the main Dutch army in the Netherlands, garrisoning Amsterdam and defending it from attack.

However, in Late June 1805 Valckenier was forced to attack the French army of Marshal Guillaume Marie Anne Brune when Brune attacked the Dutch army in the port of Rotterdam, which had been blockaded by the British Royal Navy. Valckenier was in possession of a large army of disciplined line infantry and horse artillery, while the army of Marechal Brune possessed National Guard militia and poorly-trained French soldiers. Valckenier expected a quick victory, and in a cavalry melee he was able to wound Brune and rout his general staff. But he had lost several of his staff as well, and when he charged into the melee, he made a poor decision.

In the fighting with the French troops, Valckenier stabbed one with his sword through the chest. However, another one bayonetted him with his musket, and Valckenier collapsed from his horse, dead. His death weakened the resolve of the Batavian Republic's army, and the battle tipped in the favor of the French. Both sides suffered heavy losses.